Three Little Words
by thisisanembarrassingaccount
Summary: Olivia Barker is in love with her best friend. Her best friend's name is Harry Styles. They've hidden their relationship from the world, but the stress of dating a celebrity is taking a toll on Olivia's health. The idealistic image of a woman in the celebrity world is pressuring her into doing many things that are not good for her in the least. Can she and Harry get through it?
1. Chapter 1: Soundcheck

_(Hey there! Author's note before we start. I'd love if you reviewed this story. I'm working on writing first person, and this is the first time I'm publishing something written in the style. So yeah, give me advice on my story and what to fix, and tell me what you think? Thanks a bunch, and happy reading!) _

His arms were wrapped loosely around my waist as I leaned into his chest, my back against the front of his body. I'd missed just sitting like this. The silence he and I shared together was rare, and it seemed that so much more could be said without speaking than before we were together. His curly mop of dark brown hair fell in front of my face as he pressed his lips on the top of my head. Sometimes I wondered if this was really the life I had found for myself. Sometimes I hated it.

-x-

Harry and I had been pretty close friends growing up. Our parents were close friends, and though we didn't go to primary school together, we did share a high school. That's when everything changed. Honestly, I'd only thought of him like a brother until that point. We saw each other every couple weekends, hang out, and do best friend kind of things. I'd never met his school friends, and I never thought I'd have to. When mum switched me into his school for the last year or so, I did meet them though, and I would be lying if I said I got along with them. It was nothing personal, I just really couldn't stand them. Perhaps it was jealousy. I was used to having Harry all to myself. He didn't speak much of his school friends, and I never spoke much of mine.

When I saw him strutting around the school arm in arm with some girl though, I kind of lost it. No, I didn't go on some murderous rampage, but I did wonder why he hadn't told me that he had a girlfriend. I really thought it was something I should know- we had been best friends since we were kids. Watching her kiss him and hold his hand and just... be with him ignited a jealousy inside me that I'd never felt before. It was weird, but I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I had feelings for Harry. Maybe those weekends we spent watching horror movies and chick flicks, falling asleep leaning on each other had gotten to me.

Once X-Factor rolled around, Harry had broken up with the girl. I was relieved, to say the least, but I still didn't tell him that I liked him. I didn't want to distract him- he had to focus on his career, and I didn't want to ruin that for him. Harry had always been a great singer, and I wanted him to live his dream, even if I wasn't in it. I knew that he'd probably stop having time for me if he made it through the show and became famous. I was willing to give him up if it meant he got what he wanted though. All I wanted was for Harry to be happy.

Fast forward to after One Direction had been formed. Harry and I were keeping in contact, he still didn't know how I felt. We were both seventeen now, and it had been a few months since I'd seen him. He was coming back home for part of the tour though, and I'd used some of my savings to buy myself an ultimate VIP ticket. I figured I'd surprise him when they did soundcheck. Once myself and a group of the boys' fans were ushered into the arena, we took our places in the audience. Harry didn't notice me at first, and I wasn't surprised. It wasn't like I'd changed at all, it had just been forever since we'd seen each other. The other girls were asking their questions and getting their answers. I think Liam must have noticed me though, because he whispered something to Louis, and they both looked straight at me.

I'd met the rest of the band before- it was still during X-Factor, and it was really brief, but we hung out for a little bit and talked. It wasn't like we were friends- more like acquaintances. Louis pulled Harry toward him, and I heard a couple gasps from the audience. Ah, yes. Larry Stylinson. I looked at one of the other girls and rolled my eyes. He whispered something into Harry's ear, and he looked at me. His eyes wide, a smile graced his face.

"Olivia!" he exclaimed. I turned red. I hadn't expected him to notice me- I didn't want to make a scene. It was bad enough that girls who I'd gone to high school with messaged me on Facebook asking how Harry was doing. I was pretty sure they never even talked to him before, and I knew full well that they had never talked to me. I just sort of raised my hand up and waved in response, smiling back.

After the concert, I was approached by a security guard. He told me that Harry wanted to see me backstage, and that I should stick close to him because if he didn't lead me backstage, I might get trampled. I watched as fans stared at me, and quickly turned my head toward the floor. The guard was holding me by the arm, making sure I was safe, and once I was safely backstage, I was led to a dressing room where Harry was waiting.

"Liv! I can't believe- what are you- why didn't you tell me you wanted to come to a concert? I could have paid for it!" he didn't even let me say anything before he took me into his arms, lifting me up and spinning me around. "I've missed you," he exclaimed, and put me down. I hugged him again, my arms around his shoulders.

"I wanted to surprise you." I shrugged. "I mean, I could have told you, I guess." I smirked at him, letting go of his shoulders and stepping back. "But then it wouldn't have been much of a surprise, right?" He smiled, rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know..." he pushed a hand through his curls and sat down, patting the spot next to him. I took the seat, and he exhaled. "I'm really sorry, Olivia..." he started. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, leaning forward and tilting my head as I looked at him.

"Ignoring your texts, not answering your phone calls." he sighed. "I'm just really busy, you know." he sighed, "I'm gonna make more time for my friends. For you." he nodded, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"We all knew you'd be busy, Harry." I said, shaking my head. "I think a lot of your friends have moved on. Some brag about having been your friend." I shrugged. "It's not that big a deal, babe." I ruffled his curls, smiling. That's when he dropped the bombshell.

"You're not in school right now, are you?" he asked, standing up and cracking his back. I shook my head. "Good. I was gonna wait until we went for coffee tomorrow to tell you. We were gonna do that, remember? I've talked to your mum, and to management and stuff, and they've agreed to let you spend a few weeks on tour with us." I hadn't ever seen a smile as big as this on his face. "I mean, you'd have to lay low- it's not good for me to be seen with girls, you know. But it'll be fun! You've never been to America, and I figured what better way to see it than with your best friend." I was speechless, and all I could do was nod. Standing up, I threw my arms around Harry. He laughed, hugging me back.

"Are you serious?" I asked, still disbelieving.

"We leave Sunday night." was his reply. I was going to America.


	2. Chapter 2: Tim

((Chapter 2! Might write 3 in Harry's POV, I haven't decided))

It would be hard telling my boyfriend where I was going. I wondered if Harry even remembered Tim. He had been one of our few mutual friends in school, and after I realized Harry would never want me, Tim had been a shoulder to cry on. Once Harry had ceased to send me texts as often, I realized he didn't have time to be my friend anymore, and Tim stepped in. We had been dating since they day after my last birthday, and I thought he was the one.

I took my phone out, sending Tim a text message. I told him I was with Harry and that I'd be taking a trip to the states. As I waited for a reply, Harry looked over at me. "Who ya textin'?" he asked, playful smile apparent on his face. I shrugged.

"Tim." I replied simply. Harry looked confused for a second before lighting up again.

"Oh, nifty!" he exclaimed. "How's he been? Are you two still friends?" I smiled a little bit, looking into my lap before standing up. I could feel my cheeks turning pink.

"Yeah, actually. We've been seeing each other for a while now. I really like him." I say, though since seeing Harry again, I had been doubting that a little. I smile at Harry, expecting him to be excited for me. He looked down a little before looking back at me, grinning from ear to ear.

"I knew it would happen eventually! That's great, Liv!" Harry said, before we heard a knock at the door.

"Harry, we've got to get going." someone said, and Harry frowned, offering to help me up. I declined, standing up and looking at my phone, having received a text from Tim. He didn't respond directly to what I told him. Instead, all he said was "u leaving the concert now then? Ill be there to pick u up in 20." I sighed, sent him an okay, and then turned to Harry as he opened the door. The man who was standing there was a large, dark haired man.

"Paul, this is Olivia." Harry introduced. I held out my hand and the man shook mine.

"Pleasure." he said. I could still hear screams from outside, and I swallowed nervously. Paul must have noticed this, and he smiled a little, chuckling. "We'll escort you out a side door away from the boys, don't worry." he said, and Harry laughed heartily.

"Okay, Paul. We'll be out in a second. Just haveta give Olivia directions to the hotel." he looked at me, and I frowned, shaking my head.

"Oh, uhm... Tim's picking me up in a few minutes. He didn't seem too happy, so I think I'm just gonna go with him." I apologize, scratching the back of my head and adjusting my shoulder-bag. Harry sort of frowned at me, pouting a bit.

"But I haven't seen you in forever," he whined, hopping up and down in place. By now, Paul had gone off to do something else- probably round up the other boys. I rolled my eyes at my friend.

"I know, I know..." I smiled a little. "But I'll be spending a long time with you after Sunday, and I'm going to miss Tim. I think I wanna spend as much time with him as possible before I leave. He'll probably drop me off at the airport Sunday morning before the flight, okay? You can text me until then." I frown, and another one of security knocks on the door frame.

"Olivia?" he says. I look over at him, nodding. "Let's go, the crowd hasn't found the side door yet." Before leaving, I turned to Harry.

"See you Sunday!" I smiled widely, hugging Harry again. He sort of loosely wrapped his arms around my back before pulling away.

"Yeah, Sunday." he replied, sounding a bit disappointed.

-x-

Once outside, I stood waiting for Tim. I saw his car, an old Volkswagen beetle, pull up. He honked the horn and I got into the passenger seat. Looking over at my boyfriend, I leaned in, kissing his lips softly. "What's up?" I asked after pulling away, smile on my face. He shrugged, raking a hand through his short, shaggy blonde hair.

"Nothing," he stated. "Can I stay with you until Sunday?" he asked, his pink, chapped lips forming a pout as he started his car, which had stalled. I nodded vigorously.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "I'm not gonna see you for a while, I need to spend as much time with you now as I can." he started to drive, and I could feel a sense of worry in him, even though he was smiling now that he knew I would be spending the remainder of my weekend with him.

We got back to my flat, and I started packing some things before Tim and I curled up in my bed, his chest pressed firmly against my back. I sighed, and he mumbled a quiet "I love you" into my neck before I felt his breath become more steady. I didn't reply, but I smiled, feeling his arms tighten around me. My phone vibrated against the night stand, and I carefully reached for it, reading the new text from Harry, which said "Can't wait to see you again! Sunday can't come soon enough. I need my best friend! .xx" I sighed, ignoring it for the time being and putting my phone back, drifting off to sleep.

-x-

Sunday came quickly, and I had totally forgotten to answer Harry's text messages. Tim and I had spent all the time we could together- I knew I was going to miss him. It had been a while since I'd even gone two days without seeing him, let alone weeks! He had become a little cold toward me though, snapping when I mentioned my excitement about spending time with Harry. Maybe it was because he knew how I used to feel about Harry. I wondered if he knew that I still felt the same way toward my best friend. Hopefully he would be able to trust me, but I knew him well, and I knew that we'd be on shaky terms when the first thing he said to me early Sunday morning was "I don't know if I can let you go with him, babe." Shocked, I looked at him, hand on the zipper of my suitcase.

"What?" I asked, squinting my eyes at him. He pursed his lips, looking at my phone as it lit up and vibrated again against my night stand again.

"Is that him again?" he asked suspiciously. I sighed, letting out a little groan as I packed my favourite bikini.

"Probably, yeah." I reply. "Why does it matter?" he looked at me, shaking his head and pointing at my bathing suit.

"Why do you need that?" he asked, lips tight together.

"Because we'll be close to beaches... and hotels have swimming pools, Tim. Do you expect me to wear a wetsuit or something?" he rolled his eyes, closing my last suitcase and rolling it toward the door.

"Well couldn't you have picked something less... revealing?" he asked. I laughed, rolling my other suitcase toward the door and throwing my rucksack over my right shoulder.

"Is it that much of a problem?" I asked. He sighed as we began bringing my things to his car.

"I know how much you liked him..." he admitted.. "And now he's famous... what if he decides he likes you all of a sudden. What are you going to do? I can't see you staying with me if Harry Styles decides he wants you to be his girlfriend." Flabbergasted, I turn to him after closing the boot of the car.

"Don't even worry about it, babe. You're my boyfriend. Not him." I tried to reassure him, comforting myself in the process. I wasn't sure if what I was saying was even true. I didn't know what I'd do if Harry decided he liked me back. I just couldn't tell Tim that.


	3. Chapter 3: Florida

We arrived at Heathrow before Harry. Tim seemed pleased, and once I'd gone through security and dealt with my passport and everything, he and I just sat on a bench, my head resting on his shoulder as he held me protectively at his side. "This is stupid." he said, looking down at me.

"Why don't you trust me?" I asked, sitting up and looking at him. "I didn't do anything to make you think I would do something fucking dumb, Tim. You're my boyfriend, you should know me well enough to know that I'm going to be completely faithful to you." I rolled my eyes and stood up, watching as Harry entered the airport with a couple security guys, only to be swarmed by girls. "Wanna come say hi?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Harry would probably like that." Tim rolled his eyes and reluctantly agreed.

"Fine," he said. Harry looked over at me and smiled, saying hello to a fan or two before making his way toward Tim and I.

"How've you been, mate?" he asked, looking at Tim. Tim forced a smile and I nudged him roughly in the elbow.

"Good. I've been good. I'm assuming you've been good too?" he asked, trying his hardest to make friendly sounding conversation. This went on for a couple minutes before I started feeling a little awkward. The announcer called our flight, and Harry took one of my suitcases. Tim frowned, looking down at me.

"I'll miss you, babe." I pouted, taking one of his hands and then letting go, hugging him tightly. Tim exhaled softly.

"Text me as soon as you land in the states, okay?" he asked. I responded by kissing him, and I could have sworn I heard retching coming from Harry's general direction. Tim looked over his shoulder at Harry and then kissed me again, his hands resting on either side of my face. "I'm gonna miss you loads. We'll have skype, right?" he asked. I nodded, and Tim looked at Harry, and then back at me. "Why don't you go get rid of your baggage, okay? I wanna talk to Harry for a sec. Catch up." he gave me a sincere smile, and I left to get my baggage taken care of.

**-Harry's POV-**

As I watched Olivia walk away, I smiled a bit, pushing my hair back. "It's good to see you again, Tim." I smile at my old friend. Part of me felt bad for sort of ignoring him after we'd made it big. He and I hadn't been the closest of friends, but he had definitely been there for me when I needed a friend to talk to. Instead of smiling at me though, his pursed his lips tightly and took a step closer to me.

"Listen, I never liked you, okay?" he started. What? Hadn't we been friends? I tilted my head to the side in confusion, but then I realized what was going on, and couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Are you serious, mate?" I asked in disbelief. Since when did he have a problem with me? He had never blown up at me before.

"Yeah, I am." he stated. "And I want you to stay away from Olivia. Don't touch her, don't get too close to her." I guess he was trying to be intimidating, but in all actuality he looked like an idiot. I snickered again, and he pushed his pointer finger to my chest. Security stepped forward but I waved them off. I could handle this by myself. I wondered why Tim couldn't trust Olivia. Had she done something in the past? Nah, Olivia wasn't like that. Maybe he was just jealous. I remembered him telling me that he liked Olivia in high school. I told him to go for it, but she had rejected him at first, and maybe he blamed it on me. It was no secret that Liv had a crush on me. I just played dumb and pretended I didn't notice. Really, I liked the attention I got from her.

Tim pushed me a bit, and I just sort of stood back, not wanting to get into a fight in front of the fans that had started to crowd around. Plus, the flight was about to start boarding. "I dunno what your problem is, Tim, but I'm sure you won't have anything to worry about." I smirked at him, shaking my curls out as Olivia made her way back to us, clapping her hands together in excitement. "She seems really taken with you."

**-Olivia's POV-**

As I walked back toward Harry and Tim after putting my bags away, I could feel a bit of tension. I looked at each of the boys, shrugged, and looked at Tim. "Text me later." he looked at me, stiff-faced.

"Yeah, babe. I'll text you when we land. Promise." with that, I gave him a final kiss goodbye and Harry and I made our way through the gates.

Once on the plane, Harry and I took our seats next to each other, and the other boys soon followed. Harry lit up when the four of them showed up. "Olivia, you remember the guys, right?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, hey." I said, waving a bit.

"And you guys, I dunno if you remember her, but this is Olivia." Harry introduced me to the boys, and Louis snickered, whispering something into Niall's ear and then smirking.

"Oh, _this_ is Olivia? You mean the one you haven't shut your mouth about since you found out she could come on tour?" Harry kicked his friend in the shin from across the aisle, and Lou groaned in pain before the four boys burst out laughing. Harry's cheeks were pink, and I looked over at him.

"She's my best friend! Of course I wouldn't shut up about it." he stated, arms crossed over his chest. I laughed. "You're a loser," I said, smirking at Harry. "It's great to see you guys again." I smiled at the boys and we continued on our flight, chatting the whole time. Maybe I'd get along with these boys after all.

-x-

We landed in the states pretty late. Security escorted me to my taxi before the boys made their way through the crowds. It was intense, and I watched as they made their ways to their cabs and were driven to the hotel. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and texted Tim, letting him know that we landed okay. He texted back with a simple "Good.". I figured something might be wrong, but I didn't bother answering him.

We were each given separate hotel rooms. I'd never stayed in such a nice room before, big bed, television, bathroom to myself. It was great. I changed into my sweatpants and tank top and curled up under my blankets, tired. My phone vibrated on the table and I looked at it. There was a text from Harry, telling me to sleep well because we would be having a big day the next day. Wondering what he had planned, I told him goodnight and fell asleep.

-x-

The next morning, I was woken up by Harry banging pots and pans next to my bed. Groaning, I threw a pillow at him only to be met by a chuckle. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" he shouted. I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Go away, Harry..." I muttered, letting out a deep sigh. "It's only..." I looked at my clock, realizing it was nearly three in the afternoon. "The lads and I have an interview today, I- we wanted you to be in the audience." he explained. "Get dressed, okay? We're leaving in twenty minutes."

The first week with Harry was mostly the boys doing concerts and interviews. I realized how much I'd missed his company, and I was glad I'd agreed to go, but I really hadn't heard anything from Tim. It was like he'd completely forgotten me. I'd tried texting him, and he hadn't replied. Frankly, I took this as his way of breaking up with me, and just sort of let him go. It wasn't my fault, and I really didn't miss him anyway.

We were in Florida now, staying at a nice beach resort. Harry and I were hanging out in my room, watching movies. We used to do this all the time when we hung out back home, and we were really enjoying ourselves now. The fans had noticed that there was some random girl hanging out with the boys, and most of them knew that I was just Harry's friend. I was glad I wasn't getting much hate, because I knew people jumped to conclusions.

At about 1 AM, our fourth movie finished. "Hey, Liv." Harry started. "Let's go outside." he looked at me and stood up, pulling me up from the couch by the hand. I shrugged. "Sure, okay."

Before I knew it, we were walking along a beach. It was really dark out, I couldn't see anything more than six inches away from my face, so when I stopped hearing Harry's footsteps and heard the rustling of clothes coming off, I made sure to avert my gaze. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Going for a dip. Care to join me?" he tossed what I could only assume were, but hoped weren't his boxers at me. I figured that he couldn't see me anyway, so what was the big deal? Shrugging, I stripped down and joined Harry in the water, keeping my distance.

"We're gonna get caught!" I whispered again, treading water.

"That's why this is fun, stupid." he laughed, and I heard him splashing around. Rolling my eyes, we swam around a bit, maintaining distance from each other. Soon though, we swam a bit closer to each other so we could talk better.

It wasn't as if Harry and I hadn't done this before. We'd skinny dipped in the dark loads of times, so I really didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I was used to doing stupid things like this with him. We got into shallower water, it came up to about my collarbones. I could stand comfortably now, and I knew Harry wasn't far at all. I wasn't expecting him to be right in front of me though, and when I felt the water move in front of me, I jumped a bit.

"It's just me, Liv." he said, touching my shoulder. I let out a sigh of relief. "Think there are sharks he-" I started to ask, but Harry began to lean in closer, and I could feel his warm breath against my ear. I shuddered, and just as I was about to lean in for a kiss, I heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Harry, Olivia!" we heard. It was Niall. "You two out here? You should come in to bed, we've got to work in the morning, Harry." quickly, Harry pulled away, completely disregarding what would have happened. Waded out of the water, got dressed, and kept himself turned around as he waited for me to finish putting my clothes back on.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking down at me, wet hand on my back. I pulled away, walking beside him instead. Had Harry really just tried to kiss me? I kind of felt guilty for letting it get that close. Even though Tim and I hadn't talked much, I still kind of felt like I should be faithful to him.

Without saying another word, Harry made his way back to his own room, and I went to mine, texting Tim an "I miss you babe x" before going to bed with a guilty conscience.


End file.
